Garry Kasparov's children communicate with him. Garry Kasparov about his wife and children: I lead an extremely exemplary lifestyle."

Ironically, none of his children play chess. Viva! recalls well-known and not so well-known facts from the biography of the 13th world chess champion, writer, the most influential Russian oppositionist in the West, personal enemy of the Kremlin and recognized playboy Garry Kasparov.

1. The main coach and adviser is mom.“I can be frank with her like I can with no one else. In critical moments, you hear a voice that you have been accustomed to believing for many years. Each of us needs someone whom you can trust, to express everything without hiding, calling things by their proper names. And then most often you yourself understand what to do. Mom jokes that she absorbs my stress.”

2. The first serious romance was with a famous actress.“Our close communication with Marina Neelova lasted more than two years. She was 16 years older than me, like all my friends at that time. Partly because I matured very quickly. But rather more due to the fact that women of the same age, as a rule, wanted to get married quickly. Of course, I couldn’t even think about this, as I was preparing for my first world championship match. Everything - my health, my training, my aspirations - was subordinated to this goal. On the other hand, I was a normal young man with normal needs and desires. Not a monk at all. It is quite possible that our union was also based on a sense of our exclusivity.”

3. Garry Kasparov did not recognize his daughter from Marina Neyolova.“We had a relationship. They were not fixed, moreover, they were in no way limited to the two of us. They probably didn’t end very well, but, nevertheless, I had no reason to believe that I abandoned her with the child. In any case, I believe that if I had something to do with the child, life would have turned out differently.”

4. In 2005, Garry Kasparov exchanged chess for politics.“In Russian politics there are too many generals and colonels and not enough intelligence. I hope that my ability to think strategically will help my homeland.”

5. Garry Kasparov considers chess players to be ordinary people.“Luzhin's Defense”, Zweig's chess novels - great literature, unfortunately, has created clichés that cannot withstand any clash with reality. It is clear that there are people with their own quirks. But there are no more of them than in any other mental activity that requires tension.”

6. Garry Kasparov is 19 years apart from his third wife.“I met my wife in St. Petersburg, at a lecture on alternative history. I was married, I had a son, but I decided to divorce. I realized that Dasha and I are on the same wavelength and I practically don’t feel the 19-year age difference. Now I lead an extremely exemplary lifestyle and I really like myself that way. Although I am constantly on the move. I don’t have an oil well or a candle factory; I live mainly from lectures.”

7. Has a reputation as a playboy.“At the age of 22 I became the world champion, I had money, status, opportunities. All this created a lot of temptations. Therefore, life, let's say, was quite chaotic. The fans did not besiege the entrance, but there is something to remember. There was less confusion than one might expect, but still enough.”

8. Garry Kasparov plays sports every day.“In the late 90s, I had ideal athletic tone, I did a hundred push-ups. Having a routine has always been important to me. It doesn’t matter which one - the main thing is that it exists. Whenever possible, you need to get enough sleep. I try to sleep during the day. In addition, it is important to eat properly and efficiently. Naturally, I have never smoked, I have no need for alcohol. For me, four weeks at sea is recovery, six weeks is recharge. Walking, swimming, proper food, plus an hour a day - sports. You can do push-ups and pump up your abs without any exercise equipment.”

9. Garry Kasparov considers Putin to be Hitler's successor.“I have the feeling that Putin instinctively tries to repeat even the rhythm of Hitler’s speeches. How he does it is another matter, but the style of his statements has long become the style of the Third Reich. Many psychological moments in his behavior with world leaders are a copy of what the Fuhrer did. And I believe the final part of the equation will be the same.”

10. Garry Kasparov’s favorite number is 13.“I must strongly support the magical belief in the power of the number 13, because I have a lot connected with it: I was born on April 13, I became the 13th world champion. Although, it must be said that most of our superstitions are made up of a set of facts that are analyzed after the fact. We create for ourselves a kind of mosaic picture that has lined up successfully, and then we begin to adjust everything to it. Accordingly, we carefully push aside what does not fit into it.”

The daughter of the chess king and Marina Neyolova charmed the director of the London gallery

The 13th world chess champion Garry KASPAROV recently gave birth to a son. It is probably no coincidence that the boy was named in the American manner - Nicholas. Three years ago, Harry Kimovich, completely disillusioned with Putin’s rule, left Russia and settled in the United States.

Kasparov bought a three-bedroom apartment with an area of ​​160 square meters in Manhattan in New York. m. For this family nest, where his young wife Daria Tarasova, their 9-year-old daughter Aida and the chess player himself live, he paid $3.4 million. Now he will have to make room a little - there are four of them.
The 52-year-old former world champion knows a lot about female beauty. Daria is 20 years younger than him, and some Americans, seeing them together, mistakenly think that she is his daughter. When the romance between Kasparov and Tarasova, a student at the St. Petersburg Humanitarian University of Trade Unions, was in full swing, Dasha was once asked how she related to the great chess player. The spectacular brunette, without blinking an eye, answered: “I am his wife.” Although Kasparov at that moment was married to a completely different young lady - Yulia Vovk! But Tarasova achieved her goal. In 2006, she actually married a chess genius.
As a student, Daria practiced in Washington under a program supported by the US government. She opened her own store in St. Petersburg, and Valery Leontyev even dedicated one of his songs to her. In general, this lady also knew her worth.

Harry Kimovich and Daria have been together for over 10 years, and, I must say, this is a great achievement for the wife. After all, the winner of all kinds of chess tournaments has always had a weakness for the fair sex.
The whole theater of Moscow was gossiping about the romance of young Kasparov with the wonderful actress Marina Neyolova. When they met, Marina was 37 years old, and Garik was 21. He then lived in Baku and visited Moscow only on short visits. Neelova received her young lover in her apartment on Chistye Prudy. But they appeared together more than once in the world. When Kasparov first met Anatoly Karpov in a match for the world title in 1984, Neelova was sitting in the hall next to the chess player’s mother. But it was Klara Shagenovna who separated them. First she told her son:
- You need to concentrate on chess. And if you want to marry an actress, it’s better to marry the whole factory dormitory right away. She will infect you with a bad disease!
When Neyolova became pregnant, Klara Shagenovna inspired her son that an illegitimate child could negatively affect his sports career. The ambitious Harry, who had already won the world title, did not object. His mother stated in the press: “This is not our child.” As if hinting that Neelova was simultaneously dating another man. The proud actress did not utter a word then. But the daughter Nika, whom she gave birth to, turned out to be exactly like Kasparov. Neelova’s colleagues at the Sovremennik Theater were outraged by the grandmaster’s action, and Valentin Gaft publicly stated:
- Kasparov is not worthy to be received in a decent house.
Now Nika is 28 years old. She went to first grade in Paris. When she grew up, she became a sculptor, graduating from the Royal Academy of Arts in the Netherlands. Later, Nika continued her studies in England, and in 2010 she became the winner of the “New Sensations” competition, which was held by the London Saatchi Gallery. Her father was replaced by Neelova's current husband, Russian diplomat Kirill Gevorgyan. It was thanks to her stepfather that Nika visited different countries at school age and learned several foreign languages. Neelova's daughter, a sultry brunette, looks very attractive, although she says that she never considered herself a beauty.

“I have a boyfriend, we live together in London,” Nika admitted several years ago. - He is Italian, he also works here. Not an artist or a sculptor. Maybe this is for the best - the two of us are not bored.

However, Nika never decided to introduce that same Italian to the public. Later he went to his homeland, and the couple broke up. Meanwhile, Neelova Jr. literally charmed the director of the London gallery “Charlie Smith” Zavier Ellis. First, using his extensive connections, he helped Nika show her works in the capital of England, then in Berlin, Amsterdam and other European cities. Outwardly, everything looked quite ordinary: a patron of art was helping a young talent pave the way to success. But when at an exhibition in London's Somerset House, where works by leading British artists and sculptors were shown, suddenly the creations of Nika Neelova, the only foreigner, appeared, many wondered: why would this be? She undoubtedly has talent, but without high patronage you won’t get into the cohort of the chosen so quickly. This vernissage, by the way, was supervised by Zavier.

Ellis's former favorite, Tessa Farmer, understood everything. The woman made a scandal for her ex-boyfriend:
- What is it about this Russian? Her work is completely ordinary. You are driven by personal sympathy.
Tessa persistently asked Zavier, for the sake of the cause, to forget about the Russian sculptor. But he did not listen and began to lose his head more and more from his new favorite. Now Nika is seen with the gallery director not only at exhibitions and museums. Ellis takes her on trips, they have dinner together in restaurants, walk around the city.
According to our information, Nika Neelova was once offered a job in Moscow, but she did not want it. The mother invited her daughter to Paris, where she has been living in recent years, and received a polite refusal. And when Nick asks Ellis for something (or vice versa), there is no refusal.
Nika prefers not to talk about Kasparov. She, like her mother, crossed him out of her life.

Stole a girl from Short

In 1986, friends introduced Harry to the pretty blonde Maria Arapova. A graduate of the Faculty of Philology of Moscow State University worked as a translator at Intourist. It is curious that her dad was well acquainted with Karpov, the 12th world champion and Kasparov’s sworn rival, but Klara Shagenovna found out about this too late. Otherwise, perhaps she would not have given her blessing for the marriage. Three years after the wedding, Maria gave her husband a daughter, who was named Polina. Arapova decided to give birth in Finland, where her parents lived at that time. And Kasparov remained in Moscow, with his mother. They say that Klara Shagenovna was seriously offended by her daughter-in-law. When Harry was planning to buy a new home for his family in the center of Moscow, Masha cautiously suggested moving out her mother-in-law and buying her an apartment in the building next door. The imperious Klara Shagenovna, accustomed to living with her son under the same roof, could not tolerate such treachery.

Kasparov’s wife and daughter spent several months in Finland, but Harry visited them very rarely. And then he went to London for a match for the chess crown with the Englishman Nigel Short. The duel lasted two whole months, but Maria never appeared in London. It became clear that the spouses had lost interest in each other. And it soon became clear that Kasparov dealt a double blow to Short: he won the match against him and stole Nigel’s girlfriend, chess player Virginia More. The relationship with this young French woman lasted two years.
Maria Arapova did not remain silent. In one interview she said:
“Probably something has changed for Harry personally.” Returning from London, he declared that he was ready for a divorce. I tried to talk to him, but he doesn’t want to come back... They are putting pressure on me. If I do not agree to its terms, I will be deprived of my credit card. He fights us as if he were his chess players or political opponents. But we are just talking about a woman with your own child. I'm disappointed in Harry. God will be his judge.

It got to the point that the spouses began to communicate only through lawyers. The divorce and division of property lasted for a year and a half. As a result, Maria and her daughter left for permanent residence in the United States - Kasparov bought them an apartment in New Jersey. By court decision, he received the right to take the child with him for two months every year. But the ex-wife never let Polina go to her father. However, when the passions subsided and the girl grew up, normal communication improved. Polina did not inherit her father’s love of chess, but she did gymnastics for several years. Now that Harry Kimovich lives in New York, he has the opportunity to see his daughter much more often.
Kasparov and Arapova had a family secret that they hid for a long time. The fact is that first Mary gave birth to her husband’s son. But the boy was barely saved, and a few days later he still died. Harry took this as a bad sign. Even then, he slowly began to move away from Maria.

In 1995, at the Mikhail Tal Memorial in Riga, Kasparov drew attention to the slender and sexy beauty Yulia Vovk. A classmate invited her to a banquet on the occasion of the closing of the tournament, and, as it turned out, the girl came there for a reason. A romance immediately broke out between the 32-year-old “king of chess” and the 18-year-old student. Many of Kasparov's colleagues believed that this relationship would last five to six months. Well, at least a year. And they were wrong. Julia managed to please not only Harry, but also, most importantly, his mother. Klara Shagenovna gave the go-ahead for the wedding.

When Julia was seven months pregnant, a very unpleasant incident occurred. Harry and his young wife were kayaking in the Adriatic Sea. Suddenly the wind blew, a lot of water filled the kayak, and it capsized. All this happened not far from a small island - the stunned couple managed to swim to it. Fortunately, Boris Yeltsin’s chief pilot and commander of the 235th government detachment, Alexander Larin, was not far from the scene of the disaster. He took the couple from that island.
Despite the shock, Julia gave birth to a healthy child. Note that Klara Shagenovna was present at the birth, but Harry was not there. But Kasparov certainly loves his son Vadim. For example, when the boy was five years old, dad, as promised, took him to Paris, to EuroDisneyland. Vadik was in seventh heaven. In 2004, having become the Russian champion, after the award ceremony Kasparov took off the gold medal and hung it around the neck of his eight-year-old son. It was very important for the famous chess player that his son be proud of him.

Alas, a year later Kasparov’s second marriage broke up. His ex-wife Yulia still lives in Riga, and Vadim has already reached two meters in height and now weighs 120 kilograms. To the disappointment of the father, the son is absolutely indifferent to chess, but he enjoys lifting iron. Vadim became a weightlifter and participated in the Latvian deadlift championship. When his father was arrested in Moscow in 2007 (Kasparov participated in an unauthorized march for free elections), the guy was shocked. And Harry Kimovich himself did not believe that he would be sent to prison.
“They gave me five days, although they could have given me 15,” the chess player, who became an enemy of Putin’s government, later said. - We decided to teach you a lesson. I was placed in a cell for three: three beds screwed to the floor, the passage between them was literally a meter. But there were also concessions. For example, I could walk as much as I wanted, but only in a cage about three meters by five, on the top floor. The lights were not turned on at six in the morning. I managed to take a bar of chocolate and a bottle of water with me (they let me into the cell with this!). I was wondering how long this supply would last me - I refused the prison gruel. However, you can survive five days without food.
Apparently, after this incident, Kasparov decided to flee to the West. He tried to obtain Latvian citizenship, but was refused. But the Croats met halfway. But Harry Kimovich prefers to live in the USA. He once admitted that he sometimes plays chess on the Internet under a pseudonym. And he feels great pleasure when his virtual opponents are amazed at the quality of his play. In general, the rogue likes America much more than Russia, and work for the benefit of the United States is paid very generously. In his own words, Kasparov now publishes books, gives lectures in different cities of America and abroad, earning quite decently - almost the same as he did during his sports career. But he does not serve the country that raised him and glorified him throughout the world. Kasparov was not on the same path with Russia.

And there was another case
* Garry Kasparov really liked the famous German figure skater Katharina Witt. One day he managed to meet her in Germany, and mutual sympathy already arose between the young people. However, the mother of the Olympic champion, seeing a guy with a Caucasian appearance, categorically told her daughter: “We don’t need someone like that!” Harry was hurt and offended.

In the chess world, Garry Kasparov was never called anything other than “The Great and Terrible”. The famous champion left the sport at the peak of his fame. Some are convinced that it is in vain, while others say that it is on time. Nevertheless, the great grandmaster has something to tell about himself, because Garry Kasparov’s biography, personal life and children are of interest to many of his admirers. And today’s activities of the champion cause a lot of talk in society.

Today, the former chess player has devoted himself almost entirely to politics and is a prominent positionator, accusing the Russian government of unleashing an armed conflict in the Donbass and annexing the Crimean Peninsula. But first things first.

So, below is the biography of Garry Kasparov: personal life, children, sporting achievements and other interesting moments from the life of the great grandmaster.

Childhood

The future champion was born in Baku on April 13, 1963. The boy's parents were intelligent people and kept themselves apart from the lower, so to speak, working class. As for the nationality of Garry Kasparov, this point caused a lot of controversy in sports circles.

The fact is that the chess player’s father (Kim Moiseevich) is Jewish, and his mother (Klara Shagenovna) is Armenian. Both he and the other were purebred almost to the fifth generation. Therefore, in the sports community, both Jews and Armenians, as they say, each pulled the blanket over themselves, disputing the nationality of Garry Kasparov in their favor. However, in the Soviet Union he was considered an Armenian and simply a Soviet citizen.

The parents of the future grandmaster worked as engineers and staged chess battles almost every evening. It was thanks to them that Garry Kasparov became so passionate about this sport. Starting at the age of five, he began to master the basics of chess art. And this absorbed him so much that he did not need any toys, or the street, or other yard delights. Only chess, books and newspapers.

Youth

At the age of twelve, a turning point occurred in the biography of Garry Kasparov: the young prodigy became the champion of the Soviet Union in chess among youths. Since then, this sport has become the meaning of his life.

By the age of seventeen, Garry Kasparov (photos presented in the article) received the title of Master of Sports. At the same time, the chess player graduated from school, with a gold medal, and then entered the local pedagogical university in the department of foreign languages. Harry was accepted into the institute after passing one single exam, which, by the way, he passed with a solid five points.

In 1980, Garry Kasparov, already known throughout the Union, was awarded the title of grandmaster.

After his father's death in 1970, the talented chess player's mother became more than a parent to him. She was his coach, mentor and devoted herself entirely to her son and his career. Klara Shagenovna was with him almost everywhere. Championships were held not only in the Union, but also abroad, and Garry Kasparov’s mother followed her son everywhere and solved all his problems, from domestic ones to some kind of professional friction.

It was then that she decided to radically change the grandmaster’s image, changing not only Harry’s nationality, but also his last name. So after 1980, he ceased to be the Jewish chess player Weinstein, but turned into the Armenian Kasparov.

Career

The career of Kasparov Garry Kimovich is replete with victories and all sorts of awards. The venerable grandmaster took first places in various championships and chess competitions for 13 years. At that time, Harry’s Elo rating reached 2800 points, and this is an exceptionally highly professional level.

After unpleasant events in 1990, when brutal reprisals against Armenians began in his homeland, he was forced to leave Azerbaijan and moved to the capital of the USSR. A little later, in 1993, Harry left the International Chess Federation, while creating its analogue - the Professional Chess Association.

Later, in 1996, the grandmaster organized a virtual sports organization - the Kasparov Club. The resource gained popularity year by year, and already in 1999, the famous chess player beat all users on the Internet in a match organized by Microsoft. At that time, this game with all non-professional chess players, which lasted almost four months, was watched by more than 3 million users of the World Wide Web. This indicator still cannot be beaten by any virtual chess resource.

Kasparov vs Deep Blue

In 1996, the leading corporation at the time, IBM, challenged Kasparov, inviting him to oppose their most advanced computer, Deep Blue. The designers assured users that the machine was capable of processing up to 200 million moves per second and making decisions with proper competence.

Kasparov won the competition with a good score - 4:2, but lost to a computer opponent in the first game.

The next time Deep Blue and the great grandmaster met was a year later - in 1997. The game was difficult and tense for Kasparov. And on move 46, the famous chess player admitted defeat and surrendered to the computer. After the game, Harry asked for detailed logs of the game, suspecting human interference in the process, but the company refused him, citing trade secrets.

Champion

In 1985, the chess player officially became the thirteenth world champion. Sports experts called the game of Karpov and Kasparov enchanting. But the previous champion was unable to retain his title and lost it to the newcomer. Kasparov managed to cleverly play the little-used Nemtsovich Defense and win the first game. Neither one nor the other gave in and held on until the end, reducing the pieces to a draw. But by the end of the 16th game, Harry won a spectacular victory and won the World Championship.

Kasparov became the youngest grandmaster. During the game with Karpov he was 22 years old. Only the athlete from Norway Magnus Carlsen, who also turned 22 when he took the champion title, was able to win such a “youth” record.

End of career

In 2005, the grandmaster decided for himself that he had achieved everything he wanted in chess and told his fans that he was leaving this sport. As an alternative to the board and pieces, Harry preferred politics, declaring that in Russia there are a dime a dozen colonels and generals, but too little intelligence.

It was precisely the latter that he decided to compensate with his presence, deciding, with the help of his talent for comprehensive and including strategic thinking, to change the Motherland for the better and contribute to its development. Some perceived such impulses very enthusiastically, but a good half of the grandmaster’s fans, as well as politicians, were quite skeptical about this.

Over the next years, the chess player devoted himself almost day and night to the opposition movement “United Civil Front” that he created. The main policy of the party was aimed at counteracting the current leadership of the Russian Federation. The serious political life of the famous chess player began with this movement.

Together with his comrades in the movement, Karpov opposed the actions of Russian President Vladimir Putin and his team. Garry Kimovich organized marches of dissent under his banners wherever possible, for which he was detained by law enforcement more than once.

A little later, in 2008, Kasparov created a new democratic movement and called it Solidarity. The latter, again, was aimed at fighting the current government, where the main priority was the resignation of the president.

Not everyone liked the chess player’s radical plans and ideas, so he did not receive support from the media. He also did not become a member of the Opposition Coordination Council. Alexey Navalny was ahead of Garry Kimovich by a fairly large margin.

After all these ups and downs, the chess player moved with his family to America and settled in New York. In 2013, he stated that he was not going to return to the Russian Federation and would fight the Russian authorities where he lived. Garry Kasparov continues to fight “Kremlin crimes” from abroad at the international level. It is also worth noting that in 2014, the chess player’s main website was blocked by Roskomnadzor for calls for extremist actions.

After the events in Ukraine in 2014, Kasparov openly supported the leadership in Kyiv and, using all available means, accused Russia of seizing the Crimean Peninsula and supporting the military militia in the Donbass.

Kasparov strongly calls on Europe and the United States to increase pressure on the Russian President with the help of sanctions and other political instruments. Then, in 2014, Harry Kimovich repeatedly visited the capital of Ukraine and gave a simultaneous game to everyone in support of the authorities.

A year later, Kasparov wrote a book where he presents to readers his vision of the situation in the world and the problems of modern Russia in particular. In his publication, the chess player speaks extremely negatively about the current government in the Russian Federation and specifically about Vladimir Putin. Kasparov assigned one of the key roles in modern history to Ronald Reagan, who in the 1980s did a lot to put an end to the “Evil Empire.”

Personal life of Garry Kasparov

The children of the great chess player are much more willing to talk about their father, while he himself tries to avoid uncomfortable questions about his personal life. As such, the grandmaster's personal life began when he turned 21.

The already famous chess player met a popular actress, Marina Neelova, at one of the social events. For many, she remained the capricious little princess from the “Old, Old Fairy Tale.” The actress differed from other stage personalities with her diminutive size, plump lips and delicate taste.

Marina Neelova

The young chess player was not at a loss and invited the “princess” to take a walk. This is how the romance between Garry Kasparov and Marina Neyolova began. Literally the entire inner circle of both the chess player and the actress took such a relationship with hostility. The fact is that Kasparov was 21 years old, and Neelova was 37 years old.

The mother of the future grandmaster was obsessed with her son and his victories and, naturally, she did not even want to see any actress, much less 16 years older than him. Nevertheless, Garry Kasparov still carved out several hours and even days from his busy schedule for his personal life and devoted them entirely to Marina.

The actress introduced the future grandmaster into the highest circles of Soviet bohemian youth. At social events he was introduced to the most talented people. Thanks to great games and similar acquaintances, the chess player’s name began to appear not only in specialized media.

But as mentioned above, Kasparov’s mother was categorically against such a relationship, and soon the romance between the actress and the chess player came to naught. Marina Neelova gave birth to a daughter some time later and named her Nika. But the strict mother forbade her son to recognize the child, even though Nika was like two peas in a pod like a chess player.

Maria Arapova

In 1989, Garry Kimovich officially signed with Maria Arapova. She worked as a guide-translator at the Intourist hotel complex. A little later, in 1992, they had a daughter, Polina. A year later, Kasparov's marriage began to fall apart, and the couple decided to separate. The divorce proceedings lasted a full year and a half. The chess player’s ex-wife and her daughter decided to leave Russia and settled for permanent residence in America.

Yulia Vovk

Kasparov’s next chosen one was 18-year-old student Yulia Vovk. From her, the chess player has a son, Vadim, born in 1996. The couple lived together for 9 years, after which the marriage began to crack and subsequently broke up.

Daria Tarasova

But the grandmaster, after a relatively quick divorce, again became entangled in Cupid’s net. And this time Kasparov again got a bride noticeably younger than himself. The age difference with socialite Daria Tarasova was almost 20 years. They got married in 2005, and a year later the couple had a daughter, Aida. In the summer of 2015, there was a replenishment; Tarasova made her husband happy with her son Nikolai.

The children of Garry Kasparov have no connection with the world of chess and do not even consider this sport as a hobby. But the great grandmaster himself does not insist on this, believing that everyone should choose their calling independently and without the guardianship of parents.

These days

The former world champion is still actively involved in politics. The chess player’s position, thoughts, some conclusions and other information can be found on Twitter. There he shares the latest news with his subscribers and comments on what is happening in the world and in Russia.

Kasparov invariably follows the previously chosen political course and believes that “the Russian Federation must return to the European family of nations.” A good half of his compatriots criticize the chess player’s ideas, plans and position regarding Russia.

Kasparov, in addition to housing in New York, also has real estate in St. Petersburg, Moscow and Croatia. He visits the latter very often and lives for months in the town of Makarska with his wife and children. The former champion's main sources of income are chess master classes and thematic lectures. This also includes literary activity. Political prose is not so in demand among readers, but they are ready to buy professional works related to the sport of chess, and in decent quantities.

Since 2002 and to this day, Garry Kasparov has been making his own, and considerable, contribution to the development of the chess field throughout the world. The ex-champion is trying to introduce chess as a sports discipline into the educational systems of different countries, on a par with physical education. Over the past ten years, Harry Kimovich has organized an impressive network of cooperation with hundreds of schools in Europe, Asia and the United States.

The heroine of “Saturday” became the reason for the thirteenth world chess champion to request Latvian citizenship

Whoever is not with Kasparov is... with the Kremlin?

Last week, the famous Russian chess player and opposition politician Garry Kasparov sent letters in Latvian to almost all factions of the Sejm (except for the Harmony Center) with a request to grant him Latvian citizenship for special merits.

“As a citizen of Latvia, I will have the opportunity, without restrictions, to engage in political activity in the name of democracy, peace and justice both in Russia and in other countries of the world where human rights are violated and democratic norms are violated,” Kasparov explained his desire.

Garry Kimovich indicated that his life in his youth was closely connected with Latvia. Here in the 1970s he won an important victory in chess. The mother of his son Vadim is a citizen of Latvia. And my son has a residence permit in Latvia, and he regularly visits Riga.

Kasparov suggested that as a citizen of Latvia he could contribute to the education of schoolchildren and students through the programs of the Kasparov Chess Foundation. And in the future he could also run from Latvia for the post of new president of the International Chess Federation (FIDE). The current head of Russia is now vying for him, Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, with whom Kasparov decided to compete for this post.

In conclusion, Kasparov threatened that denying him citizenship “will prove that in Latvia many more politicians are looking towards Russia.” The chess player promised to personally come from the USA (where he has settled since June of this year) to Riga in December to once again discuss all the details.

It is curious that in 2010, the 12th world chess champion Anatoly Karpov unsuccessfully fought with Ilyumzhinov for the post of head of FIDE. And in August of this year, Kirsan already came to Riga to personally open the largest international chess festival in the Baltic countries - RTU Open. But for some reason he didn’t mention citizenship for such service to Latvia.

An ideal husband and an imperfect husband

Kasparov’s Riga wife Yulia Vovk was one of the heroines of Saturday’s publications. Her mother Nadezhda won our “Ideal Husband” competition.

Our readers sent the editor stories about their husbands, in which they argued why they considered them the best.

Nadezhda Vovk told the most touching story about her husband Vladimir and two daughters.

Without any doubt, we gave the Vovk family the main prize - a tourist trip to Cyprus. And the youngest daughter Katya was given her childhood dream - a huge elegant house for Barbie. At that time, the eldest daughter Yulia was only 17 years old - she had just entered the university, and a few months later, in front of Saturday's correspondents, she met Harry - during the closing of the Mikhail Tal Memorial chess tournament, in which Kasparov won. Julia came to the tournament with a classmate, and left the event with Harry.

It is curious that at that time Kasparov held slightly different views on democracy. In 1993, he split the chess world by founding his Professional Chess Association (PCA) as a counterweight to the struggling FIDE, where he attracted about five million dollars in investment. At that time, many of the world's leading grandmasters accused Kasparov of dictatorial habits. Instead of answering, Harry Kimovich developed the organization's code of ethics, which provides for monetary fines for freethinkers.

Soon the Riga woman married the chess king. Their son was born that same year. Harry’s mother, Clara Shagenovna, was personally present at the birth, and the father himself saw the baby only after her. The name Vadim was given to the child only a few days after the birth as a result of complex numerological calculations: the sum of the serial numbers of the letters in the alphabet gave the number 13 - Harry’s lucky number (he is the thirteenth world champion). Riga's grandparents gave their grandson a stroller with a car seat. Then they shared with “Saturday” their dream - about a granddaughter. Julia really wanted a girl.

Garry Kimovich did not make an ideal husband. Nine years later the marriage broke up. Another wife, Daria Tarasova, gave birth to a daughter, 20 years younger than him.

There is power!

The fate of Kasparov’s only son, Vadim, from Riga, whose sporting hobby is very different from his father’s, was a curious one: he is a weightlifter.

16-year-old Vadim Kasparov (weight - 120.65 kg) trains in Riga and participates in the “Riga without Drugs” program. This summer he won the Open category deadlift championship, which took place in Kekava. Russian-Latvian project of the movement “For a sports society!” posted a video on YouTube featuring Kasparov Jr. under the motto “First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight with you, then you win!”

Vadim indicated three barbell weights that he intends to lift next year - 200, 250, 300 kg... By the way, unlike his mother, Kasparov Jr. is not a citizen of our country. Perhaps he has something to think about too.

Harry's Don Juan List

Marina Neyolova. I arranged it until I wanted to get married

Kasparov experienced his first strong feeling in 1984 - he fell in love with the prima of the Sovremennik Theater, the star of Soviet cinema Marina Neyolova, whom he met while visiting a famous couple - pianist Vladimir Krainev and figure skating coach Tatyana Tarasova. The actress was 16 years older than Kasparov. The novel caused a lot of rumors in the acting community. Kasparov himself later spoke about him this way: “Marina suited me because she didn’t want to get married. She understood the true nature of my struggle (for the world champion title with Anatoly Karpov. - Ed.) and provided me with every possible support.” Two years later the union broke up. And soon after that, Marina gave birth to a daughter, Nika, whom Kasparov did not recognize.

Maria Arapova. Competition with a child

Soon after breaking up with Neyolova, Kasparov began dating 22-year-old Muscovite Maria Arapova, who worked as a translator at the Novosti Press Agency and as a guide at Intourist. The young people got married only three years later - in 1989. The couple had a son, who died a few days after birth.

In April 1992, Maria gave birth to a daughter, Polina, in Finland. A year later the marriage broke up. “I used to give my whole soul to Harry,” Maria explained the breakup. - But a little man appeared who also demanded a lot. Harry was far from these worries. He didn't even take us to London for the match with Short, which lasted three months. And upon arrival he declared that he was morally ripe for divorce.”

As the Western press wrote, during the London match, Kasparov became interested in the young French chess player Virginia Mora and began to regularly visit the girl. However, this affair did not lead to serious consequences.

Katharina Witt. Mom was against it

After the divorce, Kasparov became interested in the legendary German figure skater Katharina Witt. I was even going to get married, but then the figure skater’s mother (who is also a coach) opposed it and forbade her daughter to even think about Kasparov.

Julia Vovk. Almost drowned

In 1995, 32-year-old Harry met 18-year-old student Yulia Vovk.

Soon they got married. And that same year, Kasparov and his young wife almost drowned. While on holiday on Red Island in the Adriatic Sea, Harry took his pregnant wife on a 5km kayak swim into the open sea. On the way back, the kayak took on so much water that it capsized. Fortunately, the “crash” occurred not far from a small island - the couple managed to quickly swim to land. The chief pilot of the Russian President and commander of the government 235th detachment, Alexander Larin, was not far from the scene of the disaster, and he took the couple off the island.

Two months after the happy return, a son, Vadim, was born into the Kasparov family.

In one of his interviews, Harry said: “I want to play for another five years, until Vadim grows up. The son must realize who his father is.” The marriage lasted nine years.

Daria Tarasova. 20 years difference in love is not a hindrance

When Kasparov plunged into active political activity, he was increasingly noticed in the company of a young graduate of the Faculty of Economics of the St. Petersburg Humanitarian University of Trade Unions, Dasha Tarasova. In public, the girl boldly introduced herself as the wife of a chess player.

The grandmaster bought his beloved an apartment in the center of St. Petersburg, and his wife - in Gagarinsky Lane in Moscow. Soon he divorced Yulia in order to immediately formalize his marriage with Daria. In 2006, their daughter Aida was born. The girl was named after the chess player's mother. According to her passport, Klara Shagenovna is Aida, and her late husband and relatives called her Klara.

Now the Kasparovs spend most of their time in an apartment in Manhattan, bought for 3.4 million. In New York, Harry gives chess master classes and heads his own chess foundation in Montville, New Jersey. It is curious that it is in this state that his ex-wife Maria Arapova and daughter Polina live.

Everyone knows that Garry Kimovich Kasparov(52) always appreciated the fair sex. There were legends about his love affairs. Now the brilliant chess player has settled down, bought an apartment in Manhattan, where he lives with his young wife Daria Tarasova, 9 year old daughter Aida and a very young son Nicholas, who was born on July 6 this year.

The champion always knew a lot about female beauty. There are rumors that he could not resist Daria, who is 20 years younger than him, while still legally married to Yulia Vovk(37), who bore him a son Vadim (19).

The most scandalous can be considered the affair between Harry Kimovich and the actress. Marina Neelova(68). When they met, the artist was 37, and the grandmaster was 21. The 16-year difference did not bother the couple. But she separated them Klara Shagenovna, Kasparov's mother, believing that Garry Kimovich needs to focus on chess, and not on a woman. When Neyolova became pregnant, Clara convinced her son that an illegitimate child would negatively affect his career and stated in the press: “This is not our child.” Marina Neelova did not get involved in these scandals in the media and did not comment on anything. However, the daughter Nika, which she gave birth to, was very similar to Kasparov. Now Nika is already 28 years old. Her father was replaced by Neelova’s husband, a Russian diplomat Kirill Gevorgyan. They prefer not to talk about the chess player.